Animal control officers, consolidated into one force, make mark in Ouachita

7:07 PM,
Mar. 28, 2014

Animal control officer Troy Schaefer attempts to capture a stray dog that has run into the road.

Written by

Troy Schaefer saw a beagle with a pink collar run across a deserted highway and stopped his truck dead in the road, shaking his head. He reached over his shoulder for a can of dog food and started cooing at the animal, eventually dumping the dog food on the side of the road to coax the dog toward him, a line of green rope in his hand.

The beagle scampered off, back into the adjacent hunting area, where dogs are allowed to run free. But Schaefer said he hates to see animals alone, in danger of being hit by speeding cars.

Schaefer has worked as a public servant for 25 years in multiple capacities, as a ...